New last mile schools to be climate change-resilient

MANILA,Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has assured the public that the new classrooms and school buildings to be built under its last mile school building program will be climate change-resilient as it spearheads a push toward climate change awareness and action in schools.

Education Undersecretary for administration Alain Del Pascua said the DepEd’s last mile public school building program will not only aim to repair or fix poorly built or old and wooden classrooms and schoolbuildings in public schools into decent and conducive learning spaces for public school students in the most isolated or neglected municipalities in the country, but will also showcase the agency’s efforts in climate change resilience.

“We will be focusing on what we call the ‘last mile’ schools. The last mile schools are those schools in far-flung areas that have not been repaired, or that have not been developed in the last five years,” Pascua said in a speech during the opening ceremonies for the Third National Climate Change Conference at the SMX Manila in SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City recently.

He added that these schools, most of which are still built from wood and even the native sawali, are regarded as “underdeveloped” and need the attention of the DepEd.

“We will focus on these schools. There are about 9,000 of them in the farthest islands and on top of the mountains,” Pascua said.

Under the DepEd’s plan, these last mile schools will be improved and leveled up to be at par with their “counterpart” public schools in cities and developed municipalities, according to the agency official.

“One of the features of the development of facilities that we will put is the inclusion of solar panels to energize the schools and...water houses or water stations that would tap water sources, including the gathering of rainwater for the use of the schools, plus the provision of filtration facilities so that the water...can be made potable,” he said.

Pascua added they have requested a budget of P46.24 billion for 2020 as part of the agency’s last mile schools program, which seeks to provide support for marginalized schools mainly located in isolated and disadvantaged areas.